large turkey tom carcass found outside of pen -- so upsetting!

[LynneP]

Three inches is a lot of space for a predator. Apparently anything more than 1/2" rigid barrier will allow a coon, weasel or rat access.
I'm so sorry about your lost bird, this predator will return and become more ambitious. I believe you need to take a hard look at your biosecurity and make rapid changes...

 

[chickenannie]

Thanks for all the suggestions everybody. After studying all the clues, my best guess at this point is that a smallish critter -- maybe even a cat walked up the roost-plank at night and got the bird while it was sleeping.

The other possibility is that a hawk or large owl got it, and then at night a second animal like a cat or even skunk dragged it outside the fence.

I think my main issue is I've made them vulnerable by clipping their wings -- usually they fly up into a tree to sleep or onto a 6 foot fence at night. Plus I gave the predator easy night access by putting a walkway next to the sleeping birds.

I took away the roost-planks as a first step which I think was really dumb for me to leave up there. (their roosts are 3.5 to 4.5 feet off the ground) I have their wings clipped and thought they needed it to get up, but they've been doing find getting up there without it. I may raise their roosts higher.

I know for a fact that a skunk has visited their pasture every evening because I see the skunk (and smell it) and it tries to eat their eggs. there are also some neighbor cats that come over here regularly.

It's hard to explain, but with 35 or so turkeys out on a pasture, it would be near impossible for me to herd them in and out of the barn every day without them running amuck and disappearing in the cornfields etc. And to build a solid-enough, large-enough pen for that many grown birds out in the pasture is well beyond my abilities, budget and time.

I really don't think it is a coon or fox or dog based on the way the bird was eaten (huge pile of feathers, no blood) and dragged (only 6 or 7 feet away and most of the carcass left behind, no digging under fence). This is all pastureland, there are no forests around and the fields are constantly being disrupted by farm equipment plowing, harvesting, etc. -- I just don't see those animals anytime. Though I could be proven wrong.

I may also line the base of the fencing, but with a perimeter of 300 feet even that will cost minimum several hundred dollars and I'm not sure i can do that before Thanksgiving which is when all the birds will be gone anyways.

 

[chickenannie]

OK, I just lost 2 more turkeys in one 24 hour period, I am so upset! There has been a very large hawk circling during the day, plus there was a foxlike footprint on my back porch (whatever it was, stepped in chicken poop then took 3 steps so its print showed up nicely. ha for me not sweeping the poop off the porch) today so it could be either one.

tonight I herded all those darn turkeys into a small pen in the pasture, covered it with a tarp, and put wire on the floor . Then I laid boards and concrete blocks all around the base. It was all I could do at this late hour, and it literally took 2 hours to get it all done (1 hour was just herding the turkeys in the dark, who did NOT want to go in).

I had to get my neighbors involved and this is clearly not going to work as a daily thing, so I have to come up with a better plan tommorrow. I never had predators before so I'm not set up for this! help.

Oh, the neighbor knows a local fox trapper who is going to come and set traps.

 

[moenmitz]

So sorry. Unfortuantely, I think you are learning what we did, and many others too-once the predator knows they are there, they are going to keep coming back. That is a lot of turkeys to try and protect- I was overwhelmed trying to get FIVE into the barn at night, so I gave up and let them roost outside. Never again. Since fencing them in this late in the game isn't feasible for you, I would say, plan on sleeping outside with a shotgun and a LOT of traps. You might get lucky and catch it right away, and hopefully, it hasn't told all of its friends. Keep an eye out in the daytime too- if it is a fox, they won't hesitate to attack in the daylight. Do you have a trustworthy dog, or know someone who would let you borrow one? Tying him out in the turkey pen at night might work as a deterrent, or at least an alarm system. A motion light might help- since turkeys get pretty lethargic at night, I wouldnt htink tehy would be likely to set it off.

 

[chickenannie]

thanks for the tips. I did leave all the porch lights on and so the side of the pasture had a little light shining on it. didn't realize foxes would attack in daylight, but I suspect one may have got a turkey in the very early dawn a few days ago. no losses last night but i got very little sleep -- kept my window open and gosh, I kept waking up and checking on them. argh. probably chased the fox away with all my coming and going but I was soooo sleepy today.

tonight, the turkeys herded into the small pen much better, although it still took some doing and I dont think i can keep that up until Thanksgiving!

does anyone know if I got 2 or 3 geese would that help? my friend has some large white geese I could get. My guineas are wimps and go in the henhouse. they wont stay out with the turkeys.

 

[dangerouschicken]

We have evil skunks that rip off bird's heads and leave them for dead. I'm sorry you have had a predator attack. It really makes you feel helpless, I know.....

 

[the1much]

geese are the same way at night from what i hear,,,, try 1 of those driveway alarms,, its motion and heat sensitive, and gives a loud chime when set off,, that way you dont have to stay awake,, wake to the ding-dong,,, there like 20 bucks from harbor freight.,, i have 4 of em

 

[chickenannie]

do you use the alarms for predator alerts? Would that chase a fox away?

sorry but I didn't quite understand...what do you mean that "geese are the same way?"

 

[the1much]

almost ALL birds get stupid at night,,,let something eat them,,,,the alarms set off a loud ding dong,, if you buy 2 on the same channel, you can have 1 (moniter) in your room, and 1 outside set to "loud" when something gets near "DING DONG",,,, that will at least get ya some sleep.

 

[chickenannie]

ok. great. thanks for the tips. I"ll look into it.